Young guns can give Wolves bite, says Kevin Thelwell

ACADEMY manager Kevin Thelwell has pledged to provide Wolves with first-team options from the youth system – despite his belief it has never been harder for home-grown products to force their way through.

ACADEMY manager Kevin Thelwell has pledged to provide Wolves with first-team options from the youth system – despite his belief it has never been harder for home-grown products to force their way through.

Thelwell, settling into the role which he took up in April, reckons young players have a real battle to emerge into senior football, especially in the light of plentiful overseas recruits into the English game.

But he is determined to smooth the way for youngsters at Molineux to handle the increased competition.

“Wolves are a club with a really strong youth policy,” said Thelwell.

“You can see that from all the players who have come through, the likes of Wayne Hennessy, Joleon Lescott, Mark Little and Mark Davies.

“There is a tradition of the club producing young players and then providing opportunities for them. That’s the reason why I wanted to come here.

“The key from an acadmemy perspective is for me to ensure that I develop players of the quality that the manager wants.

‘‘Hopefully, in time, that will lead to more opportunities for more young players.

“It is certainly becoming difficult for more and more young players to reach the top.

‘‘Research shows there is not so many 16 or 17-year-olds playing Premier League or Championship football any more. It doesn’t happen as much until they are 20 or 21. As a result we need to be patient with young players.”

Thelwell’s role at Wolves is a significant one. Never has the transfer market been more competitive so every player produced from within saves money for the club and a headache for the manager.

The academy manager is well-equipped to tackle the challenge, with experience of working with youngsters at Preston and Derby and for the Football Association of Wales.

And the influx of overseas players, he insists, has upped the pressure on clubs to bring their own players through.

“ The more foreign players there are, the less English players are going to be provided opportunities,” he said. “I don’t think we can get away from that.

“The hope is that academies such as hours develop players that are as good as, if not better than, the foreign product.

‘‘Clubs can also take a standpoint in terms of who they sign and what they sign.”